The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I'm still here, I just haven't posted in a while.
So without further ado, here's the hot topic!
Halo. It is easily on of the most popular and most easily recognizable titles in the gaming world today. If you've heard of video games, you've heard of Halo and if you're like me, you've been to the 20 people LAN parties with greasy food, foul language, and hot geeky man-on man action (and by action, I mean standing up and screaming something to the effect of 'BOOM HEADSHOT'). Or maybe you don't know what that's like and God bless you for it.
Most people know the Halo series as a FPS (first person shooter, for those of you who would rather do something productive with your lives) but a few days ago (March 3rd) a game came out that re-defined the Halo series. It's called Halo Wars, and it is a RTS (Real-time strategy) game that looks very well done. If I had all the money in the world, I would run out and buy it right now then let you know how I like it, but instead, I've provided a trailer that will make you wish you had an xbox 360, as well as 60 bucks to go out and blow on it.
If you've played games like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, or Mass Effect, than you already know that Bioware is (of course, in my opinion) one of the best game developers out there right now. Bethesda Softworks is a close second, gracing our gaming world with The Elder Scroll series (Morrowind and Oblivion) and most recently my current favorite Fallout 3. Anyway, the game Mass Effect easily took the cake (and muffins too) for game of the year 2007. It is a beautifully designed game complete with a GREAT story, solid characters, and a fun real-time fighting style. But I think what makes a game like this really great is (drum roll....) all of the work and creativity that went into creating the mass effect universe.
One of the things that makes me a total dork is I like living in worlds that other people create. Mass Effect is a game (well, soon to be series) that takes every little detail and expands on it in the codex. The codex is basically a journal of sorts that lets the player in on the details and all the nerd-age that went into developing such a vast and complex universe. For example, if you wanted to know how your weapons work, it's in the codex. If you want to know more about an alien species, it's the codex. If you want to know about planets, systems of government, currency, weapons, technology, it's ALL in the codex.
You'd think this entry was about the codex. I'm just saying, this is a very well developed game, and if you decide to buy a copy (Currently for 360 or PC) you will NOT be disappointed.
All this to say that Bioware has announced the release of the sequel (called Mass Effect 2....yay!) and the unique thing about this sequel is it will (this is still rumor, but a pretty confident one) take your save file from the first game and pick up where you left off in the second one. Mass Effect is one of those 'choose your own path' sort of games and the decisions you make in the first game (who lives, who dies, that sort of thing) is said to directly effect the story in the second game. Pretty neat-o huh? I think so. If you just buy the second game without playing the first, you will be brought up to speed on the events in the first game. This is really lame, and most of you should probably just buy the first game and play it and see what the hype is all about.
I am lacking on Video Game postage lately. That's because I lack the funds to run out and buy every cool video game that comes out. Some of you (well, not my regular readers) can run out to the store and just buy whatever you feel like because Mom and Dad both went to college and got high paying jobs and can do things like run out and buy you an Avalanche.
There I go again. Anyway, I picked up a copy of Fallout 3 for my 360. Bethesda Softworks (Morrowind, Oblivion) is the developer behind this much-acclaimed FPS/RPG (that's nerd-talk for 'first-person shooter' and 'role playing game' respectively). I have heard countless good things about it, so I decided to bite the bullet and give it a shot. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where people are struggling against life in the harsh wasteland-like remains of the planet earth. There are towns that are thrown together out of junk and cities that look like one huge shanty. The player starts off as a child and much like Oblivion, you go through the trivial task of creating your character (I never understood this, maybe it's because the nerds that play these games all night are the same people that wish they could've chosen what they look like...) and deciding whether or not his forehead angles forward or backward and whether or not his chin could club you to death or open a tin can.
The gameplay itself is also fun. You go through the game making decisions that effect your karma (good or bad choices) and all actions have consequences. The first time I played it through, I just killed all the ugly and annoying people. Now, I'm trying to be a good guy. If you've ever played Morrowind or Oblivion you will feel right at home. In fact, you'll feel in a much nicer home than you're own, because gameplay has been cleaned up to a near-perfect. Yes, it is that good of a game.
As most of you who care probably already know, Gears of War 2 is set to be released exclusively on the X-BOX 360 tomorrow, and looking at the reviews and screen shots, I must say it looks pretty sick. I myself haven't played all the way through the first one, although I have played co-op through a few levels and had quite a good experience. It's a very unique way of playing a shooter, not to mention the adrenaline rush of ripping into flesh with the chainsaw mounted at the tip of your weapon. OH BOY!!! The Gameplay. The Graphics. The Story. All of those elements are at their peak in Gears of War and judging by what people are saying about the sequel, this one will be no different.
In a nutshell, this is what the critics over Gametrailers.com had to say, "It's not absolutely perfect, it's fairly similar to the first game, and it can be boiled down to a simple war game about killing aliens. But Gears of War 2 delivers on all its promises and accomplishes almost everything a big sequel should--keeping its distinct identity while buffing up in every possible category. Unless you're already a confirmed hater or have absolutely no interest in ripping locust apart with some of gaming's most badass weaponry, don't think twice."
I am not a confirmed hater (well, at least not towards this game) and I certainly have an interest in ripping locust apart (whatever the hell that means) with badass weaponry. Where does one enlist?
I know this game is already considered old news by most die-hard Star Wars fans, but I thought it was worth writing about. I picked up my copy for the x-box 360 the day of it's released and went home and played it that night after work. Even after all the hype, I wasn't really sure what to expect, but here is what I found after about two hours of playing.
Upon starting the game, you realize that graphics are pretty stunning. That's apparent when you start to move around the brilliant (yet often small) 3d environments. Colors are bright and vibrant, shading and shadows are almost dead on, and of course, lighting. The physics engine was also impressive, as you got to watch Wookies, stormtroopers, and other enemies get hurdled in different directions. One of my favorite things to do was smash a window and watch all the helpless soldiers get dragged out into an unforgiving void. All of these elements were above average, and lived up to the hype.
Gameplay is fun, yet gets pretty repetitive pretty fast. While throwing around enemies, frying them with lightning, and beating them to an alien pulp with a lightsaber is fun, it doesn't offer a variety of different things to do. There is hardly any dialogue between characters (except for cut scenes that help progress the story) and as far as puzzle solving goes, there is none. The only puzzle for me was "How the hell am I supposed to get past all those guys WITH GUNS when i'm stuck with this glow-stick?" I think a third installment of Knights of the Old Republic would've been a better choice.
Overall, beating the crap out of the bad guys using nothing but the force is a good way to unwind from a long day at the office, but isn't for those looking to get into a real in-depth RPG or Puzzle game. Those of you who were expecting those sort of elements will be disappointed in this game. If you take it for what it is, it's fun. 7.5 out of ten.
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